I have been performing mostly covers in bars for quite a while. Our band is a trio, we perform most genres.
We have a few original songs, but I haven’t performed them recently because we didn’t get good response the last time we played them. We were considering changing the tempos of the songs, and working out if different chords, riffs would suit them. Basically we are evaluating what goes wrong, so that the audience may like it later on.
Can I post one or more of my songs here without adding the chords and tabs for the licks? It would basically be a poem.
Some people I know from real life write a riff or have a chord progression in mind and compose a song around it. I do the opposite. I write the song first. I am wondering if this is the reason our originals don’t get good response. Maybe the process results in bad songs?
I don’t know if I could post this here or in some other section. This forum has a lot of sub sections. Please let me know. Thank you.
P.S. I wouldn’t have thought of posting my originals anywhere, I am quite shy. But I was warmly welcomed earlier when I had asked a question on this forum elsewhere. Specially thanks to my friend jenndye429 who encouraged me to post originals. Thank you, Jen.
And this seems to me to be a very good place, and don’t ever worry about it because if something is not in the right place it will simply be moved without the Mod raising an eyebrow
And of course post your original and since your audience doesn’t like it, ask for honest, dry, brutally honest criticism here because otherwise almost everyone will cheer and clap and you won’t get much out of it.
And again dont worry where to post you dont break the site …people tried and it they dont succeed dont you BrianL ?
I would also like to add that even big, well-known bands are careful about playing new songs during live performances, when we want to party we like to listen to music that we recognize, so that is an extra hurdle to overcome.
Absolutely.
I just think there are many songs that if you strip away the music, the lyrics neither feel like, nor work as ‘poems’ for me.
And conversely, many poems that are difficult to turn into decent songs
Hi Audrey! I haven’t written any songs, although I do write poetry, but I have listened to some interviews from quite poetic singer/songwriters and also have a few ideas of my own RE order of operations, so please take this comment in the spirit of brainstorming.
I think each are their own thing, and each need to be hitting you the way you like. The lyrics should be what you need them to be (be that meaningful or catchy or whatever) and equally, the melody on its own should grab you in some way, whether it is something that moves you deeply or just moves you to dance / rock out.
I think trying to shove your beloved lyrics into a ‘made to purpose’ melody will probably let you down a bit. It might do you better to work on both things separately, have a few poems or part-poems ready and waiting, collected as you get inspired to write, and also have sessions where you work on melodies completely separately to any lyric, just to be creative and get yourself an earworm. You might find yourself modifying your existing lyrics, cutting them up and transforming parts into new songs, or taking the melody you have come up with and finding it perfect for some lyrics but being inspired by the lyrics to change the verse-chorus structure, or alter some part of the melody to fit just the one part of the lyrics that isn’t quite right.
In the end, however, I think with any creative work it’s always a mistake to hold on tight to something you’ve made and try to force it to work for you. Always far better to be a bit brutal, cut and slash away things that aren’t working until you have something that really works, and not necessarily something that you had already decided you would end up with when you started.
Keep all your discarded lyrics, riffs, melodies etc for later because every good idea can be transformed later on.
This was a lot of unasked for advice from a novice in most of this, but I hope something in it helps you with your creative process!
I have been gigging for a while, but playing covers because honestly it’s comparatively easier for me to earn money by performing songs produced by other people.
You are right, as a performer it’s simply scary to sing and/ or play an original song which is not known to the crowd.
Thank you for helping me make up my mind about posting my song lyrics here.
I am aware of my limitations. It’s hard for me to sing songs with high notes. I have to always keep this in mind. I am our trio’s singer and either a keyboard player or a guitarist, depending upon the song we will be performing.
Yes, originals I have written are work in progress.
I have known that there are resources for songwriters, workshops too. I haven’t accessed or attended any, because I have been kinda lazy. So everything I have written has a raw, unpolished feel.
These are exactly the helpful words I was looking for. I like that you really wanna point me to some kind of a definite starting point. You’re a poet at heart.
I will take some time to edit, review some of my rough drafts and decide on posting my “song lyrics” soon. I am enduring a hopefully minor health issue, so it has slowed down my speed in general anyway.
I will post one of my song’s lyrics here soon.
Everyone has been so appreciative and warm here. Thank you again.
I only now realized that you are also saying the same thing here as I tried to say… again …don’t forget that it was 30c here today and even a little warmer at the back of my house
Did you realize that I didn’t fully understand it or at least my 2nd response was a bit “weird” (no, no, no silly jokes now) … nevermind, it’s fine… it’s getting late here,
, but in this case it is a music text in the first because
by so many notifications stuck to your avatar 
…don’t forget that it was 30c here today and even a little warmer at the back of my house 